The Watchmaker's Son
by SESelestina118
Summary: SylarxOC.  AU ficlet.  Gabriel Gray was just the watchmaker's son.  Everyday Aracely would come and visit him until one day their relationship was severed.  Will Ara be able to help Sylar when she meets him again?  Only time will tell. Please RR! Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Heroes, Sylar/Gabriel Gray, Fossil, or Lorus. Please don't sue me. Thanks :D

**Author's Note:** This is going to be a short fic - possibly only about five chapters long. I hope you all enjoy! Please review because it will help a great deal. ;D Thanks, huggs, and muffins. Now on with the story . . . .

**The Watchmaker's Son**

Gabriel Gray was a timid watchmaker. Never in trouble - never sticking his nose in other people's business when it wasn't needed. Aracely Driver, on the other hand, well, she was another story. She was a girl of Italian descent with the typical dark hair, hers long, and dark eyes that accompanied her heritage. She didn't mean to get into trouble, it's just that it seemed like it followed her wherever she went.

Aracely had met Gabriel in her freshman year, first semester of college. He was sharing with her a chemistry class and lab, which in-fact, he would have gladly not taken. Chemistry was Aracely's passion though. Now all she had to prove for it was a degree collecting dust on the wall of her apartment and a low paying job at the local drug store on the corner.

Gabriel couldn't really complain about his current job fixing watches. He had a slight longing for something more, but he loved them. It had originally been his hobby, something that he had picked up from watching his father as a boy at work. Luckily he had grown to like the everyday tinkering and dexterous movements that he would have to make. His favorite watches to work on were the really intricate, foreign made pieces. He had no use for digital watches - so commonplace, so basic, so boring, so simple. The soft ticking was soothing in relation to the harsh beeps and alarms of this age.

The clock that he had taken to the most was a wall-mount that was hung near the back of his shop. Every hour as its bells tolled, angels and cherubs would circulate around the topmost area. They were golden and beautiful. Sometimes Gabe thought that if you looked at it in a certain way, in a distinct light, the angels would seem to weep. Beauty and knowing most definitely could not be found in harsh, impersonal digital faces.

Gabriel was hard at work on his German 1917 watch when Aracely walked into his shop, Gray & Sons, which he had inherited from his father, bringing some lunch for the both of them.

"Hey there, Gabe," Aracely said as she placed the bag of food down on his desk and carelessly threw her belongings into a corner chair. Gabriel peered into the bag to search its contents for something good to snack on while he would continue working.

"Salads?" Gabriel said blandly. "Couldn't you pick up something a bit more substantial, Ara?"

"Oh, it's good for you. It'll make your eyesight better," she said as she sat next to Gabriel and grabbed one of the salads out of the bag.

"I believe that is carrots," Gabriel said with a bit of a laugh. "Besides who was the science major here?" He gave her a sideways glance as he took off his work glasses and placed them on the desk. He grabbed the other salad out of the bag and started to open the container as he watched Aracely digging in and wolfing down her lunch. They ate and made small talk about how their days had gone so far. Ara was telling Gabe yet again of how lowly her job was and how she so wished to get out into the world and make a difference.

"I know what you are going through, Ara."

"Oh, but you actually like where you work - what you do for a living. I mean, look at this one piece that you've been working on for ages now. That's dedication, my friend," she said as she finished off her last bit of salad.

"Yes, but this is merely a hobby for me. I love the watches and clocks, but I don't want it to turn into my day in and day out job until I'm seventy. I want to see the world, to be special." Ara, got up, threw the empty container into the trash, and walked over to Gabriel. She leaned over him to get a better look at the watch on his desk.

"How close are you to finishing it?" she said as she playfully tousled Gabriel's overly-perfect hair. He gave her a look as he began to straighten it back into place.

"Well, hopefully I'll get it ticking soon. Just a few more parts left to put into place." Gabriel looked to Ara, "Then I'll work on yours for you."

"Oh, no rush at all, Gabe! It's really heavy to wear anyway," she said as she picked up her old watch off from a box on Gabriel's desk. It was heavier than she had remembered as she looked at it now. The watch was given to her by her older brother, Jacob, as he was about to be wed. His soon-to-be wife found the watch childish to have for a grown man of his age. It was a beautiful, red faced, stainless steel Fossil that on every fifteen seconds would flash a dragon on its face. Each section of the dragon would light up until it was whole. Then it would disappear all together.

"I think all it needs is a new battery and a general tune-up," Gabriel informed her.

Aracely rolled here eyes as she put it back on the box on which she had found it. "It's not a car, Gabe. Ah, I have to get going and get back to the store." After she picked up her stuff and passed Gabriel, ready to leave, he grabbed her hand and pulled her back.

"Your watch, it's running slow," he said as he looked at the Lorus on her right wrist.

"Yeah, I know. I've been meaning to get it fixed, but I haven't remembered or even had the time to bring it over," she said as she handed it off to him. Swiftly Gabriel opened the back of the watch and replaced the battery. After checking it over for anything else that could possibly be in need of repair, he closed it up, adjusted the time, and handed it back to her.

"Thanks, Gabe," she said with a smile. "I'll probably be back later after my shift ends. Oh, the joys of restocking shelves!" With that she was out the door leaving Gabriel alone to his thoughts and watches again.

- + -

Aracely indeed returned to Gabriel that night, but she wasn't his only visitor of the day.

"Oh, you got the watch working like you said you would!" she said as she approached Gabriel's desk. She then noticed a book lying off to the side, Activating Evolution by Dr. Chandra Suresh. "What's this?" she said as she picked it up and flipped through the pages. Gabriel went over to her and watched her as she took in the information in the book.

"It's a book on advances in genetics and brain wave activity. It gives insight on what makes some people . . . different from others. This Dr. Suresh, he came to me because he thinks I'm special, Ara." Aracely stopped looking at the pages of the book and changed focus to Gabriel's face. His brown eyes were filled with excitement and hope.

"Wow, Gabe . . . this is . . . Wow!" Ara could barely choke out.

"I know, Ara. I know! This is just what I've been waiting for. I can fulfill my wishes to do things that can make me so well-known to everyone. I no longer have to be the watchmaker's son who became a watchmaker." Gabriel was flitting around the shop doing minor repairs to this clock and that clock. "I'm supposed to meet with him tomorrow to see if his suspicions are true. Ara?"

Aracely was in shock. How did this man find Gabriel? Could Gabriel really be more than the guy that she's known for a few years as a timid, sweet friend? Her head was swimming. Was he really special like he always wanted to be, or was this kind of special different, maybe even dangerous? She didn't know what would happen as a result of the tests that would be performed. Gabriel would become the equivalent to a lab rat.

"Ara, are you all right?" Gabriel asked seeing that her eyes were becoming glazed over.

"Wha- Gabe? Oh, yes, I'm fine." Ara gave him a wide smile. "This is great news for you, Gabe. Your dreams could actually come true. Hey, let's go out to celebrate!"

"Celebrating already, Ara?" Gabe gave her a smile back.

"Yeah! I know this great restaurant near the mall. Come on, we have to hurry or else we won't be able to get a table before midnight." Aracely grabbed her things and pulled Gabriel out the door, tossing the book carelessly aside.

She hoped that Gabriel wouldn't put too much into these studies - be too affected by these tests. There was no guarantee that his plans for the future would come to exact and complete fruition the way that he wanted.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Heroes, Sylar/Gabriel Gray, Brian Davis, Dr. Chandra Suresh, or the Yellow Pages. :P Please don't sue me. :D

**The Watchmaker's Son**  
Chapter 2

It was the day after Gabriel's tests with Dr. Chandra Suresh were performed and Aracely couldn't wait to see how Gabriel had made out. When she walked into the small shop she was utterly shocked. It looked as if a small atomic bomb had gone off. There were smashed clocks and shattered pieces of glass everywhere. Did she even see a little bit of blood on a large quartz crystal on the ground? Maybe she was just imagining things?

"Gabriel," she asked apprehensively, "Are you here? You okay, Gabe?" Aracely walked into the shop a bit further to investigate the scene. Maybe there had been an attempted burglary? Suddenly Gabriel appeared out from behind an isle of grandfather clocks by a broom closet. "Oh my - you look horrible, Gabe. Did you sleep at all last night?" She went over to him to try to assess what had happened here. His hair was floppy, not groomed at all, and he was missing his glasses. His attire was far more casual than usual as well.

"No, I haven't slept at all, Ara." He gave a smile, but somehow to Ara he seemed different today and she couldn't' figure out what it was. The look in his eyes ever so slightly bordered on that of the insane. "I passed, Ara. I do have powers. Here, let me show you." Gabriel stood right next to Aracely as they faced the front door. He then lifted up his right hand. At this movement, the work glasses on his desk hovered for a bit and suddenly zoomed around the shop, going here and there, until they hit a wall and shattered into about fifty pieces. There they lay in a discarded heap.

"Aren't you going to need those?" she asked him. Gabriel did not respond to this question. He gave a sideways glance to Ara and had a smug grin spreading across his face.

"Awesome, is it not? I've been practicing all night."

"Gabe, this is amazing! How come you never told me about this before?" she exclaimed as she walked about the shop surveying the damage that Gabriel had done during the night.

"Well, I guess Dr. Suresh awakened these powers in me. I couldn't grow to my full potential just working in this little shop. I need to go out - explore my new . . . talents." Aracely gave a short, quick laugh. "What?"

"Oh, nothing. You just seemed so serious then."

"I am serious!" Gabriel snapped at her. "You of all people know how long I have wanted this to happen." Ara was taken aback - she had a look of shock on her face which may have turned into something else had Gabriel not gone over to her. For a brief moment she recoiled from him. "Ara, look . . . I'm sorry that I snapped at you, but my dreams are finally coming true." Gabriel took hold of her - tried to convey tenderness, but he knew a feeling of power was growing stronger within him like a hunger that couldn't be fed.

"I . . . I think that I should help you clean up this place. It's a total mess," Aracely said as she went to go to the broom closet to get a dustpan and brush.

As she neared the door Gabriel grabbed a hold of her arm and stopped her. "Wait, I can do that." With an outstretch of his hand he sent all of the broken shards and fractured pieces of clock hovering to make up a pile to be discarded in a far corner of the room. All during this, he never took his eyes off from Aracely. He wanted to see her reaction to his control over his new power.

Aracely ducked out from his grip and turned on his small television just to add some noise to the room. The news at noon was currently on although the news never made her feel any better about the world or her life. She ended up pulling a seat over to the area by Gabriel's fish next to his desk. She could just watch the little thing swim around and around all day. It was so oblivious to everything in its surroundings.

"Ara," Gabriel began as he sat next to her, "do you not like my power?"

Aracely looked at him incredulously, "Oh, no, it's not that. You're amazing, Gabe. Really." She gave him a slight smile, but it faltered. Her face fell into her hands as she leaned on the edge of Gabriel's desk.

"Then what is wrong?" Ara could hear worry in Gabriel's voice. "Is it something to do with your work? Are you overstressed? Are you being mistreated at all?" He leaned into her trying to give out some comfort.

"No, work has nothing to do with this. It can't give me stress because what I do is mindless." She finally looked up at Gabriel meeting his eyes with hers. "I'm just worried about you."

"Why? I am healthy and now I have this gift. I can change mankind. I can become a beacon for the confused and lowly. Things will only be better from now on. You can see this, right?" He gave her arm a reassuring squeeze.

"Yeah, but, Gabe, what if people don't accept this power of yours. People can be so cruel."

"You do not have to worry about me, Ara. I can take care of myself now. Come on, let us go out for a little while - to get some fresh air. It will do you good. It will make you feel better." Aracely saw his smile and agreed to go with him. Maybe all she needed was a bit of fresh air and a walk with Gabriel to clear her head.

When they were getting their belongings together a reporter on the news was reading a missing person's notice. It was for someone named Brian Davis who was not seen since yesterday afternoon. As Aracely went over to the television set, interested in this story, Gabriel immediately shut it off.

"I hate the news. It is so morbid all of the time with death and destruction. Come on; let's go." Gabriel pulled Aracely towards the door when she tripped on the quartz stone that was still lying on the floor. "Oh, it seems like I missed this when I cleaned up earlier." He picked up the clump of stone and at the same time proceeded to flick some dried blood from its tips.

"Gabe, what was that?" Aracely feared that her suspicions may be true, but she just didn't want to believe them. Not about Gabriel Gray.

"It is a quartz stone," Gabriel said as if it was the most obvious fact in the world.

"No. I'm talking about what you just took off that stone." Her gaze drifted to the floor. There were dark, brown mixed with red stains that she had never seen before. "Gabe . . . What are you not telling me?" She began to back away from him. Her eyes followed a faint trail of dried blood that led to the broom closet. "Gabe, what did you do?" she said gravely.

"It is not what it looks like, Ara. You can trust me." Gabriel said defensively, trying to stop Aracely going any further. Before Gabriel could do anything Aracely ran to the broom closet and flung open the door. Out toppled a slightly pudgy man wearing a business suit minus the jacket that should have accompanied the suit.

This man was most definitely dead. Aracely backed away at the sorry and horrifying scene. It was just an utterly gruesome sight. The poor man's head was cut open as if a poorly executed lobotomy was performed. The back looked like a part of it was fractured by a hard blow. What was more was that his brain was completely missing. She didn't even want to know what had happened to it or where it went.

Aracely almost vomited. The stench and sight was too much for her to take. She had to get out, but she didn't want to leave Gabriel now that she had discovered his secret. She was one of the very few true friends that he had recently. The same went for her. Obviously there was something very wrong with him and he needed help. She couldn't just abandon him.

She turned to Gabriel, afraid that he would turn into a monster right before her eyes. Gabriel stood there, stone cold, as if captured by a hunter. "Ara-"

"Why would you do something like this, Gabriel?" She needed to know for her own piece of mind. Her eyes pleaded with his.

"Sit," he told her coldly, but she didn't move. "Now, Aracely! You're going to need to sit if you want to hear all of the . . . gory details." She still didn't move. "Fine." Gabriel lifted her telekinetically and forced her to the wall of clocks nearest to the broom closet. The force of it smashed the clock behind her and sent a few shards of shattered glass into her back and right arm. She couldn't move at all, so she would have to settle for listening to his story.

"I went to Dr. Suresh's apartment yesterday morning to be tested to see if I was a person of special and extraordinary abilities and talents. He tested me and I was "healthy" or just normal. He was ready to discard me like yesterday's old newspaper. He was giving up on me and I didn't know if the old fool would do the same to his other candidates. I grew angry and impatient, so I grabbed his files demanding that he didn't do this - to give me another chance to prove myself. So I took the sticky note with the first person's name and address written down on it. He never noticed that I had walked out with it still in my possession. I just had to know what kind of a person could be better than I.

"I looked up this man in the yellow pages. I was interested. I wanted to know how I could improve myself. The guy who came to me was this man to your left. Silly, stupid Brian Davis was immediately fooled into thinking that I cared about helping him. He was scared. He feared his powers - they dominated him. He didn't want to try to control them, perfect them, use them at all. He was a broken man. Suresh was right; everything in a person was controlled from the brain. I could see how his brain functioned and fell short. I decided to let the man display his powers for me to see. He could barely move a cup across the counter and he looked like he even had a hard time of doing that one, small, simple task. He was not worthy of his power, so I told him that I could fix him.

"That is when I killed him. That is when I took a new name for myself. That is when I stole his telekinetic powers that just oozed strength and superiority from every pore in my body. That is when I became Sylar. Yes, Aracely, the name on the face of the timepiece that I have been working on for seven years. Seven - a number of perfection. I saw the good Doctor later in the evening and showed him my new abilities. He apologized and was amazed. I fed him some line about finding others and telling them that they were special and the future. In reality, I shall be the future. Take powers from those unwilling or unworthy. I shall be judge and jury. An angel of death."

By the time that he had finished speaking, he was within inches of Aracely, pinned to the wall. He backed off a bit waiting for her reply. It never came for Aracely was too confused, too disgusted.

"Gabe . . ." she finally choked out, a few small tears beginning to well in her eyes.

"Don't call me by that commonplace name anymore. Now you know what I've done. Sylar is my new life."

"I'll never call you by that tainted name!" Sylar came closer to her, giving her a threatening stare.

"I could kill you, you know, if I wanted to. Your death would add to my perfection. It would deviate and eliminate any opportunity for you to testify against me and reveal my story." He looked over to the side and then turned his attention back on her. She was whimpering. Never had Sylar heard such a noise come from Aracely. It perplexed him. "Why do you make that noise, Aracely?"

"Well, for starters, you just said that you are going to kill me. What should I do?" She gave him a stare that bordered on defiance.

"Oh come on, I could never kill you. You who supported me these past ten years. You are very lucky." Sylar spoke those last words in a sing-song type of voice while he stroked her right cheek with the back of his right hand. "I don't want to sever ties with you."

Aracely knew that now would be her time to act. His power was loosening over her. "Well, I can!" As she spoke those words, she kneed him hard in the stomach. He doubled over and fell to the ground as she fell to her feet. She ran to grab her things and get out of that shop. As she reached the door, she turned back and looked at him. Pain, indignation, and anger were evident in his deep, brown eyes. "I'm sorry, Gabriel." With that she took one last look and left him.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I had a lot of fun writing Sylar's monologue. I really hope that everyone enjoyed this chapter! Remember to review. Not only does it make me happy, but it can be a way to inform me on how to improve. Thanks for reading! Love, huggs, and muffins. :D 


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**: I do not own copyrights to Heroes, Sylar/Gabriel Gray, or any of the Grays for that matter, Clark Kent, Peter Parker, the quote from the tee-shirt, Disney, Universal, Busch Gardens, Fossil, or the Hyundai Elantra. Please don't sue me! ; ) Thanks:D

**The Watchmaker's Son**  
Chapter 3

Ten Years Past - Freshman Year

Gabriel Gray was nervous. Not only was it his first day of his college career, but he was stuck with chemistry as his first course of the semester. He was good at chemistry, but he was never fond of the by-the-book approach that had been taken with his classes in past years. He preferred experimentation and he felt that this would be possible here. The courses that he really enjoyed and was looking forward to were those concerned with physics - his intended major.

In high school and grade school Gabriel was never the most popular kid, but he wasn't the kid that everyone picked on. He had a few friends here and there in school, but they never visited him at his house. Hopefully now that he was living on the small campus, he would have some more permanent friends.

Gabe was the first person to reach his classroom so he decided to look around. There were beakers, flasks, and other instruments, some of which he had never seen before, around the perimeter of the room placed neatly on bookshelves by a door to a greenhouse. As Gabriel was looking at a long-necked piece of glassware a dark-haired girl walked into the room.

"Err . . . Hi . . . Am I in the right room? Eight to nine A.M. Chemistry with Dr. H?" she stammered nervously.

"Yes, I believe so. If we are not than I am in the wrong room as well." Gabriel replied. Soon there was an awkward silence for what seemed like an eternity but was really only about five seconds. The girl took the initiative to break it.

"My name is Aracely Driver. It's nice to meet you . . . ?"

"Gabriel. Gabriel Gray."

"It's nice to meet you, Gabriel." She gave him a hearty smile. "Would you mind if I sit at your table?"

"Yes, no problem. Go ahead" Gabriel said, slightly taken aback. He took his seat as Aracely put her books down across from him. She looked him over as she took her seat. He had the potential to be extremely cute if it were not for the Clark Kent meets Peter Parker type of look that he was sporting. "So, do you like chemistry?" Gabriel asked her, looking over her as well. Here eyes were even darker than his and her hair was put back in a ponytail. She wore a black tee-shirt that read "I crossed over to the darkside: Don't worry I brought a flashlight." Gabriel gave a slight smile.

"Oh, yeah, I love chem. It's my major, actually. My family always jokes with me that I'm going to blow up the world." Other students began coming into the classroom and they took their seats. By the end, there were about ten to fifteen people in their period.

- - -

After class Aracely and Gabriel were walking to their next class, talking away furiously.

"Oh, I am so glad that we have most of our classes together. I was worried about being alone in this place" Aracely said.

"You? I would have never guessed, especially with the way that you told off that guy. What was his name? Stephen?"

"Yeah, well, he was just calling for it. Acting like he was Mr. All-High-and-Mighty, like he knew everything and was too good for the class. Dr. H didn't even say anything to him. I can't stand people who are weak like that."

Gabriel stared at her as they turned a corner to go upstairs. "That is a bit harsh."

"It's the truth, Gabriel. Everyone is accountable for what they do. I stand by it." Her forwardness surprised Gabriel, and he admired her for that. College life was going to be very good for him.

- + -

Sophomore Year

Gabriel and Aracely were still living on campus and life was hectic, but amazing. They both had much more freedom now, but it seemed like Gabriel had more. It's not that his parents were bad people - they were just plain and ordinary and he was glad to get away from them. They both, especially his mom, said that he could be special; they just held him back. Here he was able to, through his courses and free research time, develop his mind and explore new possibilities. Often he could find the solution to complex problems far faster than any of his classmates, and they resented him for that ability. Aracely; however, loved what Gabe could do. Whenever she was mentally exhausted she would call Gabriel over to her dorm or meet with him in a study hall or at the library. His collaboration with her was a very successful habit that she would use when she really did feel like blowing up the world.

One night in the middle of winter Gabriel's phone rang. It was Aracely and Gabe was sure that she probably wanted help for her General Physics II class. It was a completely different matter. When Gabriel heard the tremor in her voice he ran to the place that she told him that they were to meet.

It was close to ten at night and Aracely was already at the horse stables at the back of the campus. She was visibly shaking; whether from the cold of the night or something else, Gabriel did not know. Gabriel approached her as she was feeding one of the horses.

"Amazing animals, aren't they, Gabe? Did you know that horses have amazing smell, hearing and direction? They will respond to almost anything."

"Uh, no, I didn't know that." He watched her feed the animal a bit more and pet it on the nose. She appeared to have apparently ran out of her dorm room without a coat or a proper pair of shoes either. Gabriel went over to her, took off his coat, and helped her put it on.

"Thanks, Gabe" Aracely said as she stood there staring at her feet.

"Now I know that you didn't bring me out here to talk about horses. Ara? What's the matter?" He pulled up something to sit on near Aracely.

"Oh, it was silly, Gabe. It's doesn't matter now." All the while she was saying this, she was clutching at the fabric of Gabriel's jacket; her knuckles turning white. Gabe took her hands in his.

"It does matter, Ara, if it makes you this upset." Ara tried to look away because what she was angry over was silly. When she finally looked at Gabriel, he had a knowing expression that just made her spill everything she was keeping locked inside.

"It's my brother . . . More accurately his fiancée. She's trying to stop his contact with me, Gabriel!"

"That doesn't make sense, Ara. Why would someone who is marrying your brother try to sever his ties with his family?"

"Because she's a witch, that's why. She knows Jacob and I will have a stronger connection with each other than she ever will. I got a call tonight from her. She wants to give me back the Fossil watch I gave to Jacob as a present for graduating from college. I know he loved it because he wore it everyday since. I mean, it's beautiful, but it's the principle behind the matter, Gabe."

Gabriel stood up and faced Aracely. He ran a hand through her loose hair and had a wide smile on his face. "That is extremely silly, Ara."

"Oh!" Ara became flustered and gave him a playful smack on his shoulder. "You know what, Gabriel? Thank you. I feel better now." She smiled and turned back to the horses. "So, has your family called recently, Gabe?"

He walked up next to her and started petting the horse closest to them. "My mom calls every few days, nagging me to do better. To be the best and become someone special. Do more than my father ever could." Gabriel went quiet and stopped petting the horse. It nudged him wanting more attention.

"Gabe, you're at the top of anyone taking physics as a major; leagues ahead of everyone in your classes. What more could a person ask for? Man, she needs her head examined . . . No offense," she trailed off. Gabriel gave her a wave that said, "None taken." "I mean, I'd be thrilled and so proud if I was your mom; to have a son who was so brilliant. I'd be gushing to everyone I knew." She gave a short laugh. "You're amazing. Don't listen to her." She looked at him and he was still watching the horse before him. Then he, never taking his eyes from the horse, gave Aracely a one-armed sort of hug and he rested his head upon hers. They were both grateful for having each other's company.

- + -

Junior Year

It was nearly summertime and all Gabriel and Aracely had left were their exams. They studied hard and Gabriel passed with flying colors and Aracely passed with admirable marks compared to the rest of her classmates.

Earlier in the year they had decided that they were going to take a road trip. See the world - at least the whole of the United States. If not that then at the very least the east coast with a stop at the Jersey beaches and Disney, Universal, and Busch Gardens in Florida.

Aracely had everything ready, for she was the designated driver with her white Hyundai Elantra which only had about 25,000 miles put on it. For the better part of the summer they would be living out of her car, cheap hotels, or at the houses of any relatives that they could find along the way. All they had left was to get Gabriel's things at his parent's house. When Aracely pulled up, there were cop cars everywhere around the house.

"Gabe, you better go. I'll try to find a place to park" Aracely told him. Gabriel jumped out of the car and approached the house.

"Excuse me, sir, but you can't come on the premises," a nearly middle-aged cop told him.

"This is my parent's house!" Gabriel yelled.

"Gabriel?" His mother appeared from the door-way and ran to him. "Oh, Gabriel, it's your father. The shop was burglarized and the guy shot him. He's at the hospital now."

"Which one, mom?" Gabriel asked her. He had to get to his dad. Fear was creeping up his spine. His mom didn't reply. Possibly she was in a state of shock? "Mother, answer me!" Gabriel shook her demanding the location of his father.

"Oh, I don't know, Gabriel. Maybe one nearest to the shop?" With that Gabriel was off to find Aracely. He had to get to his dad, to the hospital, fast. He searched the streets for Aracely and her white car. After a few seconds she pulled out onto the street.

"Ugh . . . Gabe, there isn't a spot to be had."

"Get out, Ara" he said firmly.

"What?" she was utterly confused at this.

"I said get out! I'll explain everything to you later." As quickly as she could, she handed the driver's seat over to Gabriel and they took off at a high speed.

They went to three hospitals until they had found the one that housed Papa Gray. Gabriel ran through all of the corridors, room to room, until he found his father's.

"Dad?" Gabriel walked into the room slowly and sat next to his father's bed. Aracely entered the room and stood behind him.

"I'm afraid he won't be waking up anytime soon. He is lucky he's alive. We are monitoring him closely" said the nurse that was present in the room. Gabriel sat there with his fingers crossed together and his chin resting on them waiting for any sign of movement. Anything to give him hope.

Aracely went next to Gabriel, took his father's hand with her left hand and gently squeezed Gabriel's shoulder with her right. Then she let go of his father's hand and said, "I'm sure he'll be fine, Gabe," not totally reassured herself. He was thankful for her presence there and friendship, but he really just wanted to be alone with his father. The nurse ushered Aracely out of the room.

Aracely sat outside of the room for hours until Gabriel burst through the door. "Ara, get a doctor, nurse, anyone right now! Go!" Ara grabbed the first available doctor that she could find. A team bounded into the room with a crash cart and forced Gabriel out of the room. Aracely tried to go to comfort him, but he shrugged her off and out of the way. This wasn't happening to him. Not now. Not before his senior year and this road trip. Gabriel banged the wall with both hands out of frustration.

They waited out in the hallway for hours until finally they heard something from the room. "Time of death, eight-fifteen P.M." Gabriel hung his head and became stone cold. It was one of the worst moments of his life. Aracely took his hand. There were no words for something like this.

- - -

The funeral was held soon after. In the will Gabriel had inherited Gray & Son's to continue the family business if he so chose. His father had been the only source of income, so he took over. He had received with the shop an old, foreign made timepiece that was broken. He began working on it and never looked back.

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**Author's Note**: Ah, this chapter has been riddled by problems. First I had a slight mental block and then when I was happy with it and it was all ready to go, the site wouldn't let me upload it. T-T Anyway, I really hope that everyone has enjoyed it! Please review. You know that it makes me happy and helps me improve my writing. Thanks everyone:D Love, huggs, and muffins . . . 


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Haroes or Sylar/Gabriel Gray. Please don't sue me. Thanks. :D

**Author's Note**: Sorry that this chapter took so long to post. It was originally going to be the final chapter, but it became too long, so I had to cut it in half. I also ran out of paper, but that is a different story. ;D I'm still working on the final chapter right now. Hopefully I'll have it up soon:D I hope that everyone enjoys Chapter Four! Remember to review after you have read this chapter! Not only does it make me happy, but it helps me improve my writing. ; ) Enjoy! Love, huggs, and muffins . . .

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**The Watchmaker's Son**  
Chapter 4

The hallways were cold and harsh. All steel and whitewash. Never before had such a deal been struck for a patient . . . No, more accurately a prisoner. "A threat to society." That's what they called him. They were all big talk when they were safely behind their walls of metal and glass. They feared what the prisoner was; what he would do to them if he was given a little attention. No, they caged him like a lion foaming at the mouth. Feral. That's what he was. Animalistic, but yet so articulate. It was so cold in those basements.

A new research assistant had just been hired a week prior to the prisoner's capture. She kept to herself mostly and performed some of her own experiments while at the lab. She had an assistant who had been with the company a bit longer than she who was helping her with company related research. The human genome was far more interesting than she had believed in the past. Never had she thought that she would be the one approached to research this high security risk "patient". As she read over the patient's file, a feeling of dread overcame her. How did they expect her to handle him? She was new to the company after all. She gathered her things and steadied herself. This would be a tough one. She walked down a cold hallway, fear gripping at her chest, but yet there was something else there that she could not explain.

She walked into the metallic-based room and flipped on the lights. The man was lying there, sleeping. She thought of turning back, but there was no chance of that now. She stood there with the file in her hands as she began to read from its pages.

"Sylar. Highly dangerous, bordering on psychotic. A psychopath. Labeled former "Patient Zero". Past murders: A presumed nine. Most likely more." Sylar woke up and began staring at the woman before him. "Powers: Telekinetic. Has displayed cryokinetic powers as well. Possibly related. Personal Information -" Sylar glared at her. She kept on reading. "Height: 6'4". Age: 29. Hair: Brown. Eyes: Brown. Home Town:" She stopped reading from the pages for there was only one real piece of information left. She returned his icy stare back at him. "Queens, New York. Intended College Major: Physics. Was forced to take over the family business, Gray & Sons, when father died the summer before senior year. Restored timepieces for the next seven years. Began murderous rampage. Such is the sad life of Gabriel Gray. Have I left anything out?"

There was a long and icy stare-off between the both of them. The room couldn't have gotten any colder. Sylar turned, anger rising in him. "I don't want to talk to you." He sat on the tiny mortar bed facing the wall.

"No? Oh, I can wait. I'm only here to observe you. It's not like I volunteered for this." She took a seat at the other end of her side of the small room. There was another long, drawn-out silence. She couldn't take it, she had to get out. She got up, and started to make her way for the door when Sylar finally spoke, still staring at the back wall of his cell.

"So what made you come here to work at Primatech Paper for the Company in Odessa of all places, Aracely?" Sylar sneered.

She turned around. He couldn't be serious. "You know I always wanted a better job. Here I get to stretch my legs."

"And ruin lives."

"Take that back, Gabriel. At least what I do is respectable." She stood there indignant, hands on her hips. Why did she let him do this to her?

"Oh, yes, selling your soul to your employer and science. You are much better off than I am." The sarcasm dripped off from every single word of his like poisonous honey. He gave a short, bark of a laugh.

"I like what I do. I protect and advance people's lives. You end them."

"I've done what I always wanted to do. I was free, living as I wanted. There was no one to hold me back. It was beautiful. Peaceful."

"Detachment is beautiful, but it comes at a horrible price, Gabriel." She came closer to the glass that was separating them. She was glad that it was there for Sylar was watching her like a hawk now,

"You mean to make me feel remorse for what I've done - what happened?"

"Not at all. It's your life; do with it what you want." She was as icy as the room around her.

"You surprise me, Aracely. You hold this demeanor so well. Ruthlessness is it, maybe? No, scarred. You've found solace in science." He delved into her soul. "You're dead, Aracely. Now I wonder why that is?" Ara couldn't take this anymore.

"I have some projects I left on the burner. Don't expect me to come back." She left without another word. Sylar kept watch on the door.

"Always leaving . . ."

- + -

The next visit started no better. A dark heaviness hung between the breath of the scientist and the murderer. Aracely was debating trying to talk to him at all. She only needed to observe him, right?

"So, is this your idea of company? Stare each other down until one of us breaks or you leave. I really used to think that you were different." Sylar paced in his cell around the small bed. Aracely considered her words carefully. She didn't want to gush in the slightest and say everything that she has been holding back, but she also didn't want to seem like a complete Ice Queen for they had been friends for years. She finally decided.

"Do you remember, Gabriel, the first day of college?" She sat there waiting for his reply. He stopped pacing and turned to face her.

"It was something about being accountable for your actions, right? What are you going to do now . . . Lecture me about my life? I took over the family business when I had a choice to leave it all behind and have my mother fend for herself. All of my dreams were diminished into nothing."

"Yes, I know, Gabe. I'm not trying to lecture you. You did what you had to do when your father died." She was silent for a moment. "I was actually talking about myself." Sylar looked at her quizzically. "After I left that day I searched for a way to get on with my life. Finally, after so long, I believed that the only way to regain my life was to get as far away from New York as possible. Unfortunately, my funds only allowed me to go as far as Odessa. I began to meld into life here and the horrors of the past began to subside. Life went on, until they brought you in. It all came crashing back. I thought as I read your file, 'Oh God, I can't escape this.'" She grew silent again.

"Was that supposed to be some sort of penance?" Sylar glared at her with his dark eyes.

"No, I just thought you should know what happened after I left. I still stand by my actions." Sylar turned away from the situation. "It looks like our time is up for today. Shall I leave the light on?" She turned back towards him as she was leaving.

"Do what you wish." Sylar sat back down on the small bed.

Aracely's eyes softened ever so slightly. "I hate that they leave you in the dark." With that she exited the small room and locked the door. Sylar sat with his arms around his knees. He thought about the conversation that he had just held and he woefully rested his chin on his knee. He closed his eyes and tried to block out the light.

- + -

The next day when Aracely went to observe Sylar, he was already pacing in his cell. Aracely had brought him some lunch. She placed it into a cubby-like slot and pushed it into Sylar's side of the room. He looked at what she had brought him and laughed. She hadn't heard that sound since their days in college.

"Salad!?" He picked it up and opened the container, examining its contents.

"Yeah, well . . . It's good for you. I even added some bacon bits this time." She gave him a slight, barely visible smile.

"You never cease to amaze me, Aracely." He sat down and picked at the pieces of food. Aracely came closer to the glass that was separating them.

"I heard rumors from the higher-ups today that they are going to be subjecting you to tests to see exactly what powers you currently have and how it altered your genetic code." She said this quietly as if she was the one being observed by some outside source, "I think they may want me to observe you during this as well."

He stopped eating and put the container aside. "So you're going to let them pick me apart until there's nothing left of me?" Anger and hurt began flaring up in Sylar's eyes.

"Never, Gabe," she said resolutely. She spoke in barely a whisper to Sylar through the glass. "I will find a way in my power for them to do as little as possible to you."

"Why would you do this for me?" He was now standing closer to the glass.

"I don't think anyone should become a lab rat unless it was of their own free choice."

"I threatened your life, Ara. Shouldn't you be the first to open me up on an operating table around here?" Why was she trying to protect him after al that had happened?

"You're right. To be honest, you scared the hell out of me that day. That's why I ran. Even though you've done some horrible things, no one deserves that kind of treatment." She put her hand to the glass. She wanted to be in there, but if someone walked in she would have to think of a reason, and she just didn't feel like doing something like that today. A timer rang behind her.

"Your time is up, Aracely. You should go." Sylar turned from her and went back to the little bed and his salad.

"I know. I'll be back later for other observations. I'll let you know if I hear anything more." Aracely gathered her things and left. Sylar began picking at his food again, but he wasn't hungry anymore. He was wondering what had just happened between them and what it would mean for the future.

- + -

Aracely was back the next day to observe Sylar and for some reason she looked very much stressed. Sylar, noting this, started their conversation first. Possibly some "light" conversation would relax her, although he doubted it.

"You cut your hair, Ara." It was a bit of a shock how short it was, only to her shoulders, when it had been half way down her back since college. She grabbed a few of her thick, brown locks, looked at them, and then flipped them back over her shoulders.

"Yeah, I needed a change. It looks like your hair has been cut as well." She gave him a smile. The buzz cut looked interesting on him.

"No thanks to your people."

"My people?" She gave a short laugh, "Well, anyway I heard that you gave them quite a fight. You had to be strapped down to the chair and mildly sedated. At least, that is what I've been hearing around the offices, Gabe."

"I don't want them anywhere near me, Aracely. I thought you said that you wouldn't let them."

"Oh, come on, Gabriel. It was just a haircut! You can live with that - it'll grow back. I've gotten the higher-ups to agree to me observing everything that happens with you. You're lucky I was able to achieve that. I'm trying to see if I can get them to do the least amount of what they have planned for you." She pulled up a chair and sat right next to the glass. She was now in-line with Sylar due to the floor on her side being higher than his.

Sylar looked into her eyes. "Why do you still treat me so well after everything that I've done?" She thought about her answer.

"I think that it's because I'm more sympathetic to your past. I wasn't around to see too much of your life as Sylar after I ran."

"Would things have changed if you had stayed?"

"I don't know . . ." She placed her hand on the glass and kind of wished that she had access to the other side. How did she let all of this happen? If she had voiced her concerns when he gave her a chance, would he have become Sylar at all? Or would the world have just course-corrected the situation and found another way to cause him to become like this? If she stayed, would she have become desensitized to his killing? Maybe even want to share in his power? Power is such a dangerous thing only a few can handle properly.

"When are they supposed to start?" Sylar seemed a bit distant. His defenses were back up again.

"In about four days. I'm going to make sure that everything is minimal."

"When can I get out of this place, Ara?"

"I don't know, Gabe. Whenever the Company's finished with you, I guess." Aracely became saddened. It seemed as if he would be a prisoner forever. She dropped her head. Sylar realized what had come to her mind after her words. He placed his hand on the glass opposite to hers. It was cold. It shouldn't have been that way. Oh, the dangerous games that they both played with their lives. He with the numerous murders that he had committed. Her with company subordination. Both ultimately sought pleasure in their lives, but their goals were so different. He knew that they would have to rebuild their lives after this episode yet again. Hopefully it would be smoother than the last time.

"You should go, Ara. I'm sure that you have other business to attend to besides observing me." He retracted himself from the glass and walked slowly to the back of the cell. Aracely was slightly hurt, but she gathered her things and made for the door.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Gabe." She left hoping that this course of action would free them.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Sylar/Gabriel Gray, the nameless assistant to Primatech Paper/The Company whom I chose to name James, Mr. Noah Bennet/HRG, or Heroes. Please don't sue me. Thanks. :D

**Author's Note**: So, this is the last portion of this ficlet. I've had so much fun writing it and recieving your reviews. :D Just as a note, I upgraded this ficlet's rating to T just to be on the safe side. I have one scene later on in the chapter that I wanted covered. No, don't skip to it. ; ) If you have any questions after you are done feel free to send me a message. Remember to review, because you most likely won't have anymore chances after this one as I am in the process of starting college life! XD I really hope that you have enjoyed this world that I have created between Aracely and Gabriel/Sylar. Thanks! Love, huggs, and muffins . . . . ;D

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**The Watchmaker's Son**  
Chapter 5

It was about eleven o'clock at night and Aracely was just settling down. She had long thought about during the day what her plan of action was to be in the next few days. What course of actions she would pursue. The Company wasn't stupid. They had eyes and ears everywhere. Everything had to be perfect. There was no room for any error in the slightest. Thank goodness she had taken chemistry as a major. She was used to working with percent errors. She knew the disastrous value of a slight miscalculation - a slight falter. It was not going to be easy, especially with not being able to let Sylar, her Gabe, in on the plan. He was the one who knew how things worked best, but as soon as everything would leave her lips, the higher-ups would be all over her. She would be out the door.

As rest was finally creeping over her, her phone rang out loud and harsh. It was her partner on lab research at Primatech.

"Aracely, get to the lab at once. Your patient has gone too far tonight." She hung up the phone and hastily put on some proper clothes. Anger and fear rose up in her. What had Sylar done now? Why couldn't he just wait for her?

Aracely drove to Primatech as fast as she could. Those scientists at the lab were ruthless. She's seen them at work. No stone was ever left unturned.

She jumped out of her car and began racing through the basement levels of the paper factory. She hoped and prayed that she would get to Sylar before anything happened to him. She was running blindly until she saw a pane of shattered glass outside of Sylar's room. There was blood and bits of flesh scattered around the edges of the hole in its center.

"Oh, Gabe . . . What did you do?" Aracely entered the room cautiously, not knowing what she would find. She saw her partner conversing with Mr. Bennet, one of the higher-ups, in front of Sylar's cage.

"He stays alive. We're just going to have to dig deeper" said Mr. Bennet. Aracely walked further into the room and stood behind the both of them.

"You called in a hurry, James. What happened here?" she asked in the most professional tone she could muster at that point.

"Give it to her," Mr. Bennet told James without looking at him. Unwillingly, James handed over his clip board with notes and charts. Aracely began to look them over when Mr. Bennet began speaking again.

"It seems that Mr. Sylar became a bit antsy tonight and killed one of our best employees, Eden McCain. We decided it was best to begin the tests tonight."

"You didn't alert me to this? He is my patient and under my primary care, Mr. Bennet." Aracely became indignant.

"On the contrary, Miss Driver. In truth, his care belongs to us here at Primatech. You are only paid to baby-sit him. It seems as if you had done a bad job leaving him so that Eden could be easily murdered." He was so ruthless.

"Mr. Bennet, correct me if I am wrong, but Eden reported to you. I am only a lab researcher." Anger was rising in her. Noah Bennet turned to her, one eyebrow raised behind his horn-rimmed glasses and beckoned to James.

"Leave us, James. Prepare the next test." He left them without another word, but Aracely could tell that he did not like this decision. Aracely steeled herself. This was going to get ugly and she couldn't let anything slip. Not only would her job be on the line, but the safety of her friend, Gabriel, as well.

Mr. Bennet stepped aside so that Aracely could see into Sylar's cell. Her eyes went wide with shock. There was Sylar lying there, but he was in such an awkward position on his side with his arms crossed. A glycimerine drip was connected to a shunt that was lodged into the back of his scull. What had they done to him?

"As you can see, Miss Driver, we have already performed a multitude of tests on him. Each was as inconclusive as the next." She continued to stare at Sylar through the new window made of fiberglass. "We were ordered to keep him alive, luckily for him. He would be dead by now for what he did to Eden if it wasn't for that."

Aracely couldn't take his words anymore. "Please let me in the cell, Mr. Bennet."

"I don't think that is such a good idea, Miss Driver, I-" she cut him off.

"Let me into the cell, Bennet! I need to check on my patient." Oh, she was angry. Mr. Bennet unlocked the side door. Aracely hastily went to Sylar's side.

"I should warn you, Miss Driver. We don't want another Eden incident on our hands. There's too much paperwork involved." She glared at the back wall of the cell. She couldn't show him her emotions, but it might have been too late for that. "I'll leave you to your research." Mr. Bennet said with a smirk as he re-locked the doors and left the room.

Aracely was finally free to do as she wished. She knelt down beside Sylar's head and noticed that there were no sheets or even the thin mattress lining the cement bed on which they had placed Sylar. A large cockroach was crawling on the edge of the bed. If Aracely had known the conditions in which Sylar had been kept all this time she would have most definitely complained to the staff.

She put down the clip board and took Sylar's head in both of her hands. His hair was very oily, as if it hadn't been washed for weeks. There was also a bit of blood and glycimerine about the back of his head from the placement of the shunt. The first thing Aracely would do when she got him out of this mess would be to get him to a proper shower for he smelled of B.O. as well.

Finally, she brought herself to look into Sylar's eyes and pity filled hers. His eyes were moving, but they were glazed over and out of focus. The lights were on, but no one was home. He looked so wiped out. It broke her heart having to see him like this. She couldn't protect her Gabe. She never could really, but now kind words would do nothing. She felt particularly helpless. His warm eyes were cold and lost to the darkness inside of him.

She sat there with his head in her hands for hours. For so long as he was behind the glass of the cage, she wanted to be able to touch him. A touch of reconciliation. A revived friendship. Now that she could, she could nearly cry due to the circumstances of the touch. She kept staring into his eyes, pouring her soul into his. Give him life. She wished that he would snap out of this waking nightmare.

Sylar was so powerful, but underneath all of the power, the name, and the look he was just Gabriel Gray trying to be somebody. Who knew that so much glycimerine could put him out of it like this? Yet he was still alive. He was only barely so, but usually the amount that he was given was enough to kill any man eight times over.

Nothing could be done to help Sylar at the present moment. The glycimerine would have to ware off and hopefully he would wake up. If Aracely took out the glycimerine drip now, it would do more harm than good to Sylar - possible putting him into shock. Aracely took one last, long look into Sylar's eyes before she fell asleep by his side.

- - -

Aracely woke from her odd position, half on the floor and half on the cement bed, with a start. During the few hours when she did actually sleep, her dreams had been dark. She thought of the very worst possible things that could happen to Sylar. She hoped that he would be back to himself again soon. She looked at her watch to see what part of the day she had woken up in. It was nearly eleven in the afternoon. She looked at Sylar still lying there. Having the glycimerine drip in him for, she guessed, almost twelve hours was extremely dangerous to his health. The usual was about three hours, but she read on the clip board that Primatech was allowing for ten. Last night taking it out was a big risk, but now leaving it in any longer was an even bigger one.

Aracely shakily walked around behind Sylar and turned off the machine pumping glycimerine into his body. She went over to him and unfastened the long tubing from the shunt carefully. She tossed the tube aside and turned on the shunt. She wanted to take it out, but it would really hurt Sylar. It was attached to the back of his head in a way that was unknown to her. She assumed that it was a different method than the one used on small lab mice.

She looked over him again. He actually did look like an overgrown lab rat with the white pajamas that they had given him to wear. Being passed out on the bed like he was didn't help the image either. Aracely often saw overmedicated mice lying lazily in their cages before they were to die. She hated those days in the lab. She loved animals and hated that portion of her work. She considered the mice in the lab little pets on loan from Primatech. Every time she wished that she could just touch the mouse that was near death and give it a little bit of energy to have the will to live.

She sat behind Sylar with that wish creeping upon her again like it did with the mice. It was silly though because Sylar was a natural fighter. He wouldn't just give up the ghost so easily. She stared at the shunt jutting out of his head. This company was so horrible. She sincerely hoped that they didn't treat the others that they brought in with powers like they had treated Sylar.

She ran her fingers through Sylar's short hair. There was no change in him. "Oh, Gabe, why did you act? I could have stopped them from doing this much to you if you would have believed in me. Although, maybe I don't deserve your friendship after everything that I've done. I'm so sorry that I left you that day . . ." This was so silly. Sylar probably couldn't even know that she was there let alone hear her. Yet, she felt that he understood . . . . somehow.

She got up and shook off such a ludicrous idea. She had to figure out her next move and how to get Sylar away form this place. James entered into the room and then the cell. He was carrying a vitals monitor with him.

"Aracely, everyone's been looking for you all morning. Have you been in here all night?" He asked her with a slight disgust at the very mention of her with Sylar. That beast of a man brought nothing good to this company or the world.

"Mr. Bennet locked me in last night," she said matter-of-factly. James gave another look of disgust, but otherwise ignored her. He had work to do.

"Help me connect him to the monitor. Take off his shirt," he said as he went about the cell picking up the clip-board he was forced to hand over to her the previous night.

"Wha-?" Take his shirt off? Couldn't they just only go underneath it to connect the monitor to him?

"Just take his shirt off, Aracely. I don't have time for this." He saw that Sylar had been taken off the glycimerine drip. "Did you do this?" He pointed at the shunt.

"Yes, James. If he was left on the drip he would have died. Don't you remember that we're supposed to keep him alive?" James couldn't stand working for Aracely or that she was right. He was getting nowhere fast in this business.

"You can just use the crash cart to bring him back, you know."

"You know as well as I do that the crash cart doesn't always work. It only stops the heart so that it can regain a regular rhythm." She went over to Sylar and sat on the concrete bed by his head.

Aracely turned him over onto his back. His eyes were closed now and she wondered if he had finally fallen into a regular sleep or if he was faking sleep for some unknown reason. She tried to pull him up gently by getting him underneath his arms, but it was harder than she anticipated. Sylar's head kept bobbing around. Maybe he was actually asleep?

She grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it up until it was just bellow his arms. She rose up both arms and continued to pull at the shirt until it was completely off him. The white shirt smelled horrible, so Aracely tossed it in the sink behind the concrete bed. At the moment Sylar's head and arms were hanging over the top of the bed so Aracely took hold of Sylar and slid him down so that the top of his head was even with the top of the bed. She then went to each side and placed his arms on the bed next to his torso. Finally, she went to the foot of the bed and she straightened the hem of both pant legs. She gave a slight squeeze to his ankle that no one saw.

"Why do you take so much care with him, Aracely? He's a monster," James said as he fiddled with the monitor. Aracely made her way back to Sylar's shirt.

"He's not a monster, James. He's a man like anyone else," she said as she folded the shirt and placed it in a corner. James ignored her and hooked Sylar up to the machine. His vitals began printing out on a small roll of paper. The markings were even and timely.

"Well, his vitals are normal for now. Mr. Bennet ought to be happy." James gathered his things and proceeded to the door. "If anything changes, call me on this." He tossed a cell phone her way.

"Get me coffee, James." With that he left grumbling something about not being her lap dog. Finally. Aracely really couldn't stand the guy. He was so . . . He didn't care about Sylar's or anyone's well-being at all. Only the rise up the corporate ladder to power.

She went and grabbed a chair from the other side of the room. She found that James had left the code for the cell on the phone. How convenient for her. She sat down at Sylar's left side and took hold of his hand in both of hers. He was slightly cold and clammy. She began rubbing his arm while his hand was still in her left. Why couldn't he just wake-up and then the both of them could just walk out of this place? Things were never that easy though.

Aracely stared at the face of Sylar. He was so pale. The skin surrounding his eyes and his eyelids were red and his lips were chapped and dry. It looked as if he was dehydrated. There was nothing that she could do for him in this place. What he needed was some proper rest in a hospital or in a home-like setting. She rubbed her face with both hands. She squeezed her eyes shut and kept her head in her hands. An overwhelming amount of emotion came to her. She was mostly angry with herself for letting this happen. She just wanted to be rid of this place. Was this what Gabriel felt when he was beside his father's deathbed?

Aracely was deep in her thoughts when she heard a beeping noise coming from the monitor. It was only then that she realized that Sylar was jerking around a bit, as if his body was beginning to reject him. Aracely went over to the printout and saw that his heart rate and vitals were irregular. She needed help, so she was forced to call James.

"James, get down here now! Something's wrong with Sylar." She hung up the phone and went over to Sylar. How did she miss something like this? She didn't know what exactly to do for him. She lifted his eyelids. His eyes looked the same as they had before - glassy and unfocused. She grew even more worried for him.

"Oh God, Gabriel, please stay with me." James bounded into the cell and passed off Aracely's coffee to her before going to the printout. She put to coffee down by the chair that she had been sitting in previously.

"What happened, Aracely?" he said as he gazed over the vitals markings looking for some reason as to how this was caused.

"I don't know, James I was just sitting here. Sylar was sleeping and he started doing this. I called you as soon as it began." Panic was filling her voice. What was going on?

"You have no idea what happened then?"

"No! I was a chem. major, James, not biology with a focus in the medical practice." Fighting like this was stupid when Sylar's life was in danger.

"Bennet's coming soon. I paged him on the way here. He'll tell us what to do." While Aracely and James waited for Noah Bennet there was a silence between them that could have choked the unhappiest spirit on the planet. James began strapping Sylar down to the bed.

"Why are you doing that, James!?" Aracely inquired.

"Well, I guess the proper and professional answer would be that I don't want him to accidentally hurt himself with his jerking. The real reason is that if he does wake, I don't want him to make any attempts on our lives." Aracely's brows furrowed. She had to admit that he had a slight point. Sylar would definitely kill James, but would he hurt her? She couldn't know. Even though she had been his friends for all those years, she had failed him on that faithful day and in getting him out of this place.

A few minutes later Mr. Bennet entered the cell. He told them to keep bringing him back again and again if he crashed. That wouldn't be good for his body, but Aracely said nothing. Bennet said that if Sylar died, he wanted it to be on his terms and to call him if anything happened one way or another. Bennet left them to watch over Sylar.

So inconsiderate. This waiting was driving everyone insane. Sylar did, in fact, crash numerous times. Each filled Aracely with a greater sense of worry. She sank deeper into herself knowing each time Sylar crashed, it would be harder to bring him back. Aracely stood constant vigil over him and left her coffee untouched. James looked on in boredom and every so often went to get a fresh cup of coffee.

Then it happened.

She couldn't stop it.

"James, please. We have to save him. We have to bring him back!" she cried out to him as he began putting away the defibrillator. Small, hot tears began to stream down Aracely's face. Her position working for Primatech was terminated with those tears.

"There's nothing left for us to do. He's dead. I'm going to call Mr. Bennet." Aracely just couldn't take that statement as true. She began administering CPR to Sylar. She tried so hard to breathe life back into his now growing cold body, but it didn't work. She didn't have a strong enough will. She never did.

James had just ended the phone conversation with Mr. Bennet, and he turned to Aracely saying, "We have to get him ready for shipping." Aracely didn't listen to him as she hovered at Sylar's head. Her hands gently went through his hair and about his scratchy cheeks, that needed to be shaved, and lips as she silently wept.

James began walking over to Sylar to un-strap him from the bed. For a brief moment Aracely thought she saw Sylar's eyelids slightly flutter and his lips curled slightly into something that could have been a smile. A spark of blind hope ignited in Aracely. This wasn't possible, but she was sure she saw something.

"James, did you see that?" she asked him hoping for confirmation that she wasn't going crazy.

"See wha-" Aracely jumped back and her mouth fell open in shock. No way could this be happening, but it was. Was she dreaming?

Sylar gasped for air as he opened his eyes. He caught sight of James and telekinetically pinned him to the fiberglass observational wall. He then telekinetically ripped the rest of the restraints constraining him to the bed, he got up from the bed, and he stretched as if he was breaking himself into a new body. A new skin.

Sylar gave Aracely a detached smile and then turned his attention to James, who began to whimper. Sylar threw James about the room with his powers. As James hit each wall multiple times, Aracely could hear various bones breaking and crunching. This went on for a solid minute or more. Then when Sylar grew tired of this, he pinned the poor assistant to the concrete bed and strapped him down with the restraints that had been used on him previously. Sylar gave a cold, toothy grin as if he was a tiger about to rip apart its prey. Sylar picked up the paddles from the crash cart and waited for them to reach a maximum charge of energy.

Aracely and James' eyes went wide with horror. They had an idea of what Sylar was planning, but in truth the reality was far more gruesome. When the paddles were charged, Sylar placed one on James' face and the other by his legs. He released the energy that was stored. There was no hesitation. James' screams of pain from the electricity were cut short as death washed over him. His flesh had been burnt right off from the power within the paddles. The stench was horrible and the sight was even worse. Sylar ripped the paddles from the now dead assistant. Burnt flesh was stuck to them and James' face was oozing dark, thick blood. Sylar telekinetically placed a white cloth over the body of James and turned to Aracely.

She slightly backed away, not knowing what to expect. Sylar saw this and gently grabbed her arm. He looked over her. His eyes were softening. His brows furrowed and his lips were slightly parted. He took both of his hands and cupped her face in them. He wiped away her tears from both cheeks with his thumbs and gave her a warm smile.

"You look like you have been through a war, Ara." Her hair was out of her short ponytail in some places and she looked as if she hadn't slept for weeks. Aracely began to smile, but it faltered. She grabbed Sylar into a tight hug as hot tears escaped form her and ran down his chest. He returned the embrace and began petting her hair. It reminded him of those stress-filled nights in college that were few and far between when Aracely had mental breakdowns. "I'm here, Ara. I'm here," Sylar whispered into her ear.

Aracely grabbed onto him tighter and rubbed her face into his chest. Sylar smiled again as she pulled away and looked into his eyes. He went over and put on the white tee-shirt that was folded and laying in the corner of the cell. "So, what are you going to do now, Ara?"

'Well, we have to get you out of here before Mr. Bennet comes. He definitely won't like this at all. I'll have to sneak you out. The security around here is top notch," Aracely said as she paced in the cell.

"I want to be here when Bennet comes. I can handle him and I have some business that I need to attend to." A smirk spread across his face.

"You're not going to kill him, are you?" Aracely turned to him with a look on her face that explained everything that she was thinking.

"No, I just need to shake him up a bit. I have to make sure that he stays in one place for a while. I just need you to get me a Primatech uniform." Aracely sat down as Sylar began to pace in the cell.

"Gabe, what are you going to do?"

"Oh, I'm sure that you'll hear about it through the grapevine eventually."

Aracely threw her head back as it dawned on her that she would have to get a new job. She would have to possibly even leave the state. "I think I may go back to New York, Gabe. I'll try to get my old life back."

Sylar looked at her and lightly laughed. Go back to her old life? Didn't she realize that was impossible now? "Ara, where are you going to live?"

"I don't know. Maybe I'll head back to Jersey first and then see if I can build up enough funds to get a new apartment in the city."

This was not good enough for Sylar. He grabbed a pen and ripped some paper from the vitals monitor. He wrote something on the paper and then handed it off to Aracely. It was an address: 1146 Trenton Place APT 1B, Queens, New York 11011. Aracely was confused. Why was he giving her his old apartment address?

"I want you to use my apartment if you want to. When I left I never told the landlord that I was most likely not coming back. He always took out my rent from an account that I had set up and I'm sure that there was enough in there to keep it vacant for the time being."

"Gabe, I don't know what to say." Aracely was shocked.

"Say yes and go get me a Primatech uniform before Bennet gets here. Meet me outside in the parking lot." Aracely got up and hugged Sylar again. She couldn't believe that he would do this for her.

"Thanks, Gabe," she said as she pulled away from him and exited the celled room. All Sylar had to do now was wait.

- + -

Aracely waited for Sylar outside of Primatech by a tree and a streetlamp in the parking lot. He came out with a coat, proper shoes, and Bennet's driver's license. Aracely handed the uniform over to him.

"Gabe, what are you going to do now? Why do you need his license?"

"I only needed the address," Sylar said with a smirk.

"You're going after his family!? After all that you have been through, this has got to be one of the worst ideas you've ever had," Aracely admonished. Sylar turned and started to walk away from Ara, blending into the night. "Gabriel, don't do this." She ran after him and turned him around to face her. "Lay low for a while, Gabe. Can't you break this cycle?" Her eyes filled with a strange glint - a mixture of sadness, anger, and slight madness.

Sylar's face was still in shadow. "I have to leave. Don't bother following me. Go to New York and don't look back. May we meet again, hopefully on better terms." Sylar said to the darkness, "You know it needs to be . . ." Sylar turned to leave again. Aracely could hear the madness returning to his voice.

"Why are you doing this, Gabriel Gray?"

"I'm not the watchmaker's son anymore. I have to fulfill my destiny. To become _perfect_."

"Gabriel . . ."

"Goodbye, Ara - may you stop running from yourself." Sylar turned and left like a thief in the night. Aracely stood there stunned, not knowing if she would ever see him again. Her Gabe. The one whom she had tried to save. Unfortunately she couldn't. Not now. Not ever.

**FIN**


	6. Chapter 5 and a half

Disclaimer: I do not own Gabriel "Sylar" Gray or Heroes. Please don't sue me. Thanks. .

Author's Note: Okay, so this is sort of an addition to the end of the story and is not supposed to be a part of the main plot. I wrote this because I just couldn't leave Ara and Sy hanging like that. It's not the best that I have written, but I like it well enough. I hope that you all enjoy this "Bonus Deleted Scene". It takes place in the present, so it is after the bomb goes off, but Sylar still has powers. (Obviously this whole fic was AU-ish with me trying to keep Sy in character. : P ) Enjoy! Thanks for reading! Please read and review (It makes me happy ; ) )! Many huggs and muffins

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**The Watchmaker's Son**

Chapter 5.5

It was a gorgeous night. The stars were clear to see, which was unusual for the city. It was a cooler night in the park than it had been the previous week, but Aracely didn't mind in the slightest. This was going to be really nice. At least she hoped so because there was an ever so slight chance of rain that she had noted while watching the evening news.

As she waited for her company, she stared into the water of a fountain, gently trickling before her. She saw change sparkle in the moonlight from the bottom. Aracely usually thought that wishing on loose change was silly, but the moonlight made her give into the romanticism of it all. She grabbed a quarter out of her change purse, held it tightly, closed her eyes, and made a long wish. She opened her eyes and smiled as she playfully threw it into the water where it made a "plunk" noise on impact.

She began watching the stars again, picking out constellations like Orion just as whom she was to meet came up behind her. She hadn't heard or seen him, so he placed his hand on the small of her back to alert her of his presence. Aracely was slightly startled, but she turned and gave him a warm smile.

"Gabe!" she exclaimed as they both gave each other a welcoming kiss on the cheek and a hug. "You're late!" she said as she playfully hit him on the shoulder and led him to a nearby park bench.

"I am never late. I always arrive precisely when I mean to," Sylar said as he ushered Aracely onto the bench. He sat down to her right and gave her a wry, sideways smile as he said, "I thought I told you to call me Sylar?"

"Yeah, well . . . You know I like calling you Gabe. It makes you seem sweet," she said as she snuggled into his side. Sylar put his arm around her shoulders.

"You know I am anything but, Ara. You are delusional, my dear." He looked down at Aracely as she looked up and grinned at him.

"Oh, you know I must be!" she said as she snuggled further into his side. She looked up at the moon, high in the night sky, lit like a royal jewel. Her dark eyes glowed. They both sat there admiring the sight, waiting for the true show to appear.

"You know, at the rate this is going, I could have been another half hour late," said Sylar.

"Aww, but I like spending time with you, Gabe," she said looking up at him with doe eyes. Sylar's only response to this was a far off stare, an ever so slight smile, and a squeeze to Aracely's shoulder. There was another peaceful silence.

Then the moment that they had both waited for occurred. The moon began to eclipse. Ever so slightly, the edge of the moon turned a luminous red - orange. Sylar and Aracely stared up at it with wide-eyed wonder. It was so beautiful - so captivating. Aracely wished that they could stay like this forever. Sylar wished that he could absorb the power and night of the sight.

Soon the moon was in a total eclipse. Leaves were slightly falling from the trees around them. Aracely gave Sylar a contented smile, and Sylar smiled with a sort of admiration in his eyes. He began kissing Aracely ever so lightly. He could faintly taste her dinner on her lips - her favorite recipe, lemon chicken.

Aracely was surprised, but she didn't back away. Only now did she realize that she had wanted this for years. She placed her hands on his head, stroking his cheek and feeling the softness of his hair. She could even taste chai on his lips. It was so sweet.

They parted from the gentle kiss and stared at each other for a moment, trying to take in everything that had just transpired. Shy smiles spread across their faces. The eclipse was finally fading and Aracely and Sylar were once again bathed in cool moonlight. They sat there again for a long while. This time the silence was more than content. Aracely let out a giggle that was only meant for herself to hear, but Sylar caught it. Dale's power was very useful. He turned to see the reason for this when Aracely blushed and turned her head away form him.

She bit her lip ever so slightly out of nervousness. She then turned back to Sylar and snuggled into him. Sylar was glad for the company that he kept now. For so long he had been alone in the world, even as a child. He knew now that he had at least one person who cared about him. That she had always cared about him. Aracely began nibbling his ear playfully and he began to laugh.

"Why are you doing that, Ara?"

She backed away, smiled, and replied, "I always wanted to do that." Sylar shook his head and got up from the bench.

"May I walk you back to your apartment? The city can be very dangerous at night." He held out his hand to help her up from the park bench. Aracely gratefully took it.

"Thank you, Gabe." She gave him a smile and began walking with him. All of the way back to her apartment they were arm in arm. At the door they shared one more sweet kiss.


End file.
